Intro to southern California:

We are happy to be back on the road again, after an extended break for the holidays and some family matters. Before the holidays, we spent time at the Palm Springs Thousand Trails Park. Using that location as a base, we toured Palm Springs, saw the famous Palm Springs Follies, browsed the shops on Palm Desert’s Paseo Drive, and hiked around Joshua National Park.

After the holidays, we returned to the west coast and spent a few days at the Pio Pico Thousand Trails Park. The Pio Pico park is within about a 30 minute drive of San Diego, so we had the chance to get a taste of the city. A good way to get oriented to San Diego is to take the Old Town Trolley tour. The narrated tour makes a loop through some of the key sights in San Diego, with the opportunity to debark at any of the 8 stops and then reboard another trolley. If you just stay on the trolley, it will take about two hours, but it is worth it to get off and do some sightseeing as you make your way around town.

You’ve got to do it at least once:

The trek to Quartzsite seems inevitable for most RVers. In our travels we have met fellow RVers who love Quartzsite, as well as those who wouldn’t go near the place again.

But most agree that you’ve got to do it at least once. So we went in search of our own plot of desert to boondock on BLM land. For us, the Quartzsite experience was what we expected – a big flea market, an RV show, and a dusty place to dry camp.

To say that Quartzsite is a highly seasonal town is an understatement when the burst of January/February activity is compared to other times of the year. But we did see indications that further housing and commercial development is planned, making us wonder how much the town of Quartzsite will change in upcoming years. Hopefully it will retain some of its character.

“Downtown” Quartzsite aside, if you are looking for a desert camping experience, there is plenty of open land in Quartzsite and for many miles further from town in the surrounding desert. When we were headed into the area, we were a bit fuzzy on where we would find the free, or almost free, BLM camping. Here are our notes on where to find the Quartzsite BLM areas.

Groundhogs Aside:

No matter what the groundhog says about winter’s longevity, it is never too early to start thinking about travel plans for the upcoming seasons. Popular summer destinations can fill up quickly. Knowing where you want to travel can help in selecting vacation weeks. Those interested in working on the road, may want to plan for their next RVer job. Even fulltimers, snow birds and those with complete travel flexibility may want to start plotting out a general course for their next destinations. Looking for some ideas? See our RV travel places and plans.

If you haven’t already, check out the new 2006 editions! The Next Exit, Trailer Life and Woodall’s Directories, RV Buyer’s Guide, the 2006 RV Home Base and more updated RV publications.

RVer’s Notebook Still working on that New Year’s resolution to get organized? Manage costs, keep track of where you have been and what you enjoy. Check out this handy software package to help manage all sorts of RVing things. More info here.

Sell a used RV, and have it listed on over 35 partner sites. You can post multiple pictures. Or search for an RV to buy – search by RV class or make! See the selection of RV Classifieds.

After our stay in dusty Quartzsite, it was certainly time to clean the rig. We got out our Mary Moppins supplies and went to work. Mary Moppins Cleaning System includes popular interior products such as Bi-O-Kleen, Ion-A-Clean, the Dry Sponge and the Stain Eraser for tile grout.